Winthrop Jordan
Encyclopedia
Winthrop Donaldson Jordan (November 11, 1931 – February 23, 2007) was a professor of history and renowned writer on the history of slavery and the origins of racism
in the United States
.
Jordan is best known for his book White Over Black: American Attitudes Toward the Negro, 1550-1812, published in 1968, which earned the National Book Award
, the Bancroft Prize
, and other honors. Jordan’s assertion in White Over Black that English perceptions about color, Christianity, manners, sexuality, and social hierarchy contributed to their "unthinking decision" to commence the trans-Atlantic slave trade
and crystallized by the late eighteenth century into a race-based justification for chattel
slavery, had a profound impact on historians’ understanding of both slavery and racism. The book’s erudite discussion of inter-racial sex is credited with inspiring serious scholarly inquiry into that topic—particularly into the relationship between president Thomas Jefferson
and his slave named Sally Hemings
.
In 1993, Jordan won a second Bancroft Prize
for Tumult and Silence at Second Creek: An Inquiry into a Civil War Slave Conspiracy. In this work, Jordan brought to light details of a previously unstudied slave revolt
near Natchez, Mississippi
.
, Massachusetts
to a long line of scholars and liberal thinkers. He was the son of Henry Donaldson Jordan, a professor of 19th-century British and American politics at Clark University
, and Lucretia Mott Churchill, great-great-granddaughter of the Quaker abolitionists and women's rights
advocates James and Lucretia Coffin Mott
. One of Jordan's great uncles, Edward Needles Hallowell
, was a commanding officer of the celebrated Civil War African-American infantry regiment the 54th Massachusetts
of the United States Colored Troops
.
As a young man, Jordan attended the prestigious Andover Academy
in Andover, Massachusetts
before going on to receive an A.B. in social relations from Harvard University
in 1953, an M.A. in history from Clark University in 1957, and a Ph.D. in history in 1960 from Brown University
, which later recognized him as a distinguished alumnus. Jordan's doctoral dissertation formed the foundation of what became his master work White Over Black.
. After completing graduate school, Jordan spent two years as a fellow at the College of William and Mary’s Institute of Early American History and Culture. He was Professor of History at University of California, Berkeley
, from 1963–82, and the school's Associate Dean for Minority Group Affairs Graduate Division, 1968-70. As early as 1962, when he published an article on the status of mulattoes in the British colonies, Jordan's work helped to illuminate the so-called one-drop rule
, a uniquely American example of hypodescent
. It defined as "black" or African American
, persons with any amount of African ancestry, and was adopted into twentieth-century state laws, such as in 1924 in Virginia. His synthesis, White Over Black, looked at the history of race relations in the United States, and was influential for its assessment of issues of interracial sexuality. In assessing allegations about Thomas Jefferson
and a liaison with his slave, Jordan was the first historian to use Dumas Malone
's timeline of Jefferson's activities to demonstrate that he was at Monticello for the conception of each of Sally Hemings' children.
In 1982, Jordan relocated to the University of Mississippi
, where he was the William F. Winter Professor of History and Afro-American Studies for more than 20 years. While there he influenced many graduate and undergraduate students.
With his second marriage in 1982 to attorney and author Cora Miner Reilly (d. January 10, 2011), Winthrop Jordan became the stepfather of Stephen, Michael, and Mary Beth Reilly. He and Cora Jordan helped to found the first official Quaker
meeting in the state of Mississippi
.
A few years after his 2004 retirement, Jordan died in his Oxford, Mississippi
home at the age of 75 after suffering from Lou Gehrig’s Disease
and liver cancer
for several years.
Racism in the United States
Racism in the United States has been a major issue since the colonial era and the slave era. Legally sanctioned racism imposed a heavy burden on Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latin Americans...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Jordan is best known for his book White Over Black: American Attitudes Toward the Negro, 1550-1812, published in 1968, which earned the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
, the Bancroft Prize
Bancroft Prize
The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas. It was established in 1948 by a bequest from Frederic Bancroft...
, and other honors. Jordan’s assertion in White Over Black that English perceptions about color, Christianity, manners, sexuality, and social hierarchy contributed to their "unthinking decision" to commence the trans-Atlantic slave trade
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
and crystallized by the late eighteenth century into a race-based justification for chattel
Personal property
Personal property, roughly speaking, is private property that is moveable, as opposed to real property or real estate. In the common law systems personal property may also be called chattels or personalty. In the civil law systems personal property is often called movable property or movables - any...
slavery, had a profound impact on historians’ understanding of both slavery and racism. The book’s erudite discussion of inter-racial sex is credited with inspiring serious scholarly inquiry into that topic—particularly into the relationship between president Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
and his slave named Sally Hemings
Sally Hemings
Sarah "Sally" Hemings was a mixed-race slave owned by President Thomas Jefferson through inheritance from his wife. She was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson by their father John Wayles...
.
In 1993, Jordan won a second Bancroft Prize
Bancroft Prize
The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas. It was established in 1948 by a bequest from Frederic Bancroft...
for Tumult and Silence at Second Creek: An Inquiry into a Civil War Slave Conspiracy. In this work, Jordan brought to light details of a previously unstudied slave revolt
Slave rebellion
A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by slaves. Slave rebellions have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery, and are amongst the most feared events for slaveholders...
near Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
.
Early life and education
Jordan was born in WorcesterWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to a long line of scholars and liberal thinkers. He was the son of Henry Donaldson Jordan, a professor of 19th-century British and American politics at Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
, and Lucretia Mott Churchill, great-great-granddaughter of the Quaker abolitionists and women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
advocates James and Lucretia Coffin Mott
Lucretia Mott
Lucretia Coffin Mott was an American Quaker, abolitionist, social reformer, and proponent of women's rights.- Early life and education:...
. One of Jordan's great uncles, Edward Needles Hallowell
Edward Needles Hallowell
Edward "Ned" Needles Hallowell was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, commanding the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry following the death of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw at the Second Battle of Fort Wagner in 1863.-Early life:Edward grew up in a well-to-do Quaker family...
, was a commanding officer of the celebrated Civil War African-American infantry regiment the 54th Massachusetts
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was one of the first official black units in the United States during the Civil War...
of the United States Colored Troops
United States Colored Troops
The United States Colored Troops were regiments of the United States Army during the American Civil War that were composed of African American soldiers. First recruited in 1863, by the end of the Civil War, the men of the 175 regiments of the USCT constituted approximately one-tenth of the Union...
.
As a young man, Jordan attended the prestigious Andover Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
in Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
before going on to receive an A.B. in social relations from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1953, an M.A. in history from Clark University in 1957, and a Ph.D. in history in 1960 from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, which later recognized him as a distinguished alumnus. Jordan's doctoral dissertation formed the foundation of what became his master work White Over Black.
Career
Jordan's teaching career began in 1955 as a history instructor at Phillips Exeter AcademyPhillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
. After completing graduate school, Jordan spent two years as a fellow at the College of William and Mary’s Institute of Early American History and Culture. He was Professor of History at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, from 1963–82, and the school's Associate Dean for Minority Group Affairs Graduate Division, 1968-70. As early as 1962, when he published an article on the status of mulattoes in the British colonies, Jordan's work helped to illuminate the so-called one-drop rule
One-drop rule
The one-drop rule is a historical colloquial term in the United States for the social classification as black of individuals with any African ancestry; meaning any person with "one drop of black blood" was considered black...
, a uniquely American example of hypodescent
Hypodescent
In societies that regard some races of people as dominant or superior and others as subordinate or inferior, hypodescent is the automatic assignment of children of a mixed union or mating between members of different socioeconomic groups or ethnic groups to the subordinate group...
. It defined as "black" or African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, persons with any amount of African ancestry, and was adopted into twentieth-century state laws, such as in 1924 in Virginia. His synthesis, White Over Black, looked at the history of race relations in the United States, and was influential for its assessment of issues of interracial sexuality. In assessing allegations about Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
and a liaison with his slave, Jordan was the first historian to use Dumas Malone
Dumas Malone
Dumas Malone was an American historian, biographer, and editor noted for his six-volume biography on Thomas Jefferson, for which he received the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for history...
's timeline of Jefferson's activities to demonstrate that he was at Monticello for the conception of each of Sally Hemings' children.
In 1982, Jordan relocated to the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
, where he was the William F. Winter Professor of History and Afro-American Studies for more than 20 years. While there he influenced many graduate and undergraduate students.
Marriage and family
He married Phyllis Henry. They had three sons Joshua, Mott, and Eliot Jordan, and later divorced.With his second marriage in 1982 to attorney and author Cora Miner Reilly (d. January 10, 2011), Winthrop Jordan became the stepfather of Stephen, Michael, and Mary Beth Reilly. He and Cora Jordan helped to found the first official Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
meeting in the state of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
.
A few years after his 2004 retirement, Jordan died in his Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
home at the age of 75 after suffering from Lou Gehrig’s Disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
and liver cancer
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer. Most cases of HCC are secondary to either a viral hepatitide infection or cirrhosis .Compared to other cancers, HCC is quite a rare tumor in the United States...
for several years.
Legacy and honors
- In 2005, some of Jordan's former students published a collection of essays inspired by his influence, entitled Affect and Power: Essays on Sex, Slavery, Race, and Religion.
- 2007, his former students established the Winthrop Jordan Memorial Research Fund "to further Professor Jordan’s legacy of teaching, scholarship, and philanthropy by supporting graduate student research in slavery, race, religion, and sexuality."
External links
- "Winthrop Jordan Fund", University of Mississippi
- "Winthrop Jordan", Bancroft Prize Winners, Columbia University